diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 51b5990..c13f2fc 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ RUN apk update && \
     apk add --no-cache \
     nginx \
     curl \
+    rsync \
     unzip \
     libcap \
     ca-certificates \
@@ -121,7 +122,7 @@ RUN sed -i "s/user = nobody/user = phpbb/g" /etc/php${PHP_VERSION}/php-fpm.d/www
     chown phpbb:phpbb /run/nginx.pid
 
 # Copy scripts and configurations
-COPY scripts/install-phpbb.sh scripts/docker-entrypoint.sh scripts/install-from-yml.sh /opt/.docker/
+COPY scripts/install-phpbb.sh scripts/docker-entrypoint.sh scripts/install-from-yml.sh scripts/update-db-migration.sh /opt/.docker/
 COPY config/nginx.conf /etc/nginx/http.d/default.conf
 
 # Download and install phpBB during the build
@@ -145,7 +146,7 @@ RUN if [ -z "${PHPBB_VERSION}" ]; then \
     mkdir -p ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb && \
     mv "phpBB3"/* ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/ && \
     rm -rf "phpBB3" && \
-    mkdir -p ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/config && \
+    mkdir -p ${PHPBB_ROOT}/config && \
     touch ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/config/config.php && \
     chown -R phpbb:phpbb ${PHPBB_ROOT} && \
     # Set base permissions
@@ -153,7 +154,8 @@ RUN if [ -z "${PHPBB_VERSION}" ]; then \
     mkdir -p ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/images/avatars/uploads && \
     # Set writable directory permissions
     chmod -v 0770 ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/store ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/cache ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/files ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/images/avatars/uploads/ && \
-    chmod 0640 ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/config/config.php && \
+    chmod -v 0750 ${PHPBB_ROOT}/config && \
+    chmod -v 0640 ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/config/config.php && \
     # Set subdirectory permissions
     find ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/cache -type d -exec chmod 750 {} \; && \
     find ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/store -type d -exec chmod 750 {} \; 2>/dev/null || true && \
@@ -190,4 +192,4 @@ HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=5s --start-period=30s --retries=3 \
 USER phpbb
 
 ENTRYPOINT ["/opt/.docker/docker-entrypoint.sh"]
-CMD ["nginx", "-g", "daemon off;"]
\ No newline at end of file
+CMD ["nginx", "-g", "daemon off;"]
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3cc28fe..2273a3e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -100,7 +100,9 @@ persisted.
 
 ## Environment Variables
 
-The following environment variables can be used to configure the phpBB installation:
+The following environment variables can be used to configure the initial phpBB installation.
+Note that only the PHP configuration variables have any effect if you already have
+an existing `config.php` (with database connection information) and database from a previous installation.
 
 ### Forum Configuration
 
@@ -166,7 +168,7 @@ The following environment variables can be used to configure the phpBB installat
 
 There are two main approaches to persist your phpBB data:
 
-### 1. Simple Volume Mounting (Recommended)
+### 1. Simple Volume Mounting
 
 Mount a single volume to keep everything in one place:
 
@@ -182,7 +184,7 @@ docker run -d \
   evandarwin/phpbb:latest
 ```
 
-### 2. Granular Control with Multiple Volumes
+### 2. Granular Control with Multiple Volumes (Upgrade Path)
 
 For more control over specific data directories:
 
@@ -190,16 +192,36 @@ For more control over specific data directories:
 docker run -d \
   -p 8080:8080 \
   -v phpbb_config:/opt/phpbb/config \
-  -v phpbb_store:/opt/phpbb/store \
-  -v phpbb_files:/opt/phpbb/files \
-  -v phpbb_images:/opt/phpbb/images \
-  -v phpbb_ext:/opt/phpbb/ext \
+  -v phpbb_store:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/store \
+  -v phpbb_files:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/files \
+  -v phpbb_images:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/images \
+  -v phpbb_ext:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/ext \
+  -v phpbb_style:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/styles \
   -e PHPBB_DATABASE_HOST="db" \
   -e PHPBB_DATABASE_NAME="phpbb" \
   -e PHPBB_DATABASE_USER="phpbb" \
   -e PHPBB_DATABASE_PASSWORD="secret" \
   evandarwin/phpbb:latest
 ```
+Here, the /opt/phpbb/config directory is used to persist the `config.php` file only, it is copied to/from there during container startup/installation.
+The `store`, `files` and `images` folders should be persisted; adding `ext` and `styles` folders gives you the option to install custom extensions and styles.
+
+The `config.php` needs to be a local file with initial write permissions for the first setup.
+The write permissions need to be for the phpbb user in the container, likely UID 100, GUID 101, see also [Issue #3](https://github.com/EvanDarwin/phpbb-docker/issues/3).
+Once the initial installation ran and setup created the database tables and `config.php`, the `config` folder can also be mounted read-only:
+```bash
+docker ... -v phpbb_config:/opt/phpbb/config:ro ...
+```
+
+If you have (a backup of) an existing installation with database and config.php, you can restore these folders and the database from the backup.
+
+## Upgrade path
+If you mount the full `/opt/phpbb` folder persistently (option 1 above), the docker container will not upgrade to new versions correctly (at least as of now), since the volume mount hides the updated forum files of the container.
+
+However, if you choose option 2 to mount only the `config.php` and folders `store`, `files` and `images` persistently, and optionally `ext` and `styles`,
+then upgrading the docker volume is equivalent to a [full upgrade](https://www.phpbb.com/support/docs/en/3.3/ug/upgradeguide/update_full/).
+
+In that case, the container is setup to automatically perform database migrations as well on startup.
 
 ## Custom PHP Configuration
 
@@ -307,7 +329,18 @@ specify a version.
 Here's a complete example using Docker Compose with MySQL:
 
 ```yaml
-version: '3.8'
+volumes:
+  phpbb_config:
+  phpbb_files:
+  phpbb_store:
+  phpbb_images:
+  phpbb_ext:
+  phpbb_styles:
+  mysql_data:
+
+networks:
+  phpbb-net:
+    driver: bridge
 
 services:
   phpbb:
@@ -315,20 +348,25 @@ services:
     ports:
       - '8080:8080'
     environment:
-      - PHPBB_FORUM_NAME=My Amazing Forum
-      - PHPBB_FORUM_DESCRIPTION=Welcome to my phpBB forum
-      - PHPBB_USERNAME=admin
-      - PHPBB_PASSWORD=secure_password
-      - PHPBB_EMAIL=admin@example.com
-      - PHPBB_DATABASE_DRIVER=mysqli
-      - PHPBB_DATABASE_HOST=mysql
-      - PHPBB_DATABASE_NAME=phpbb
-      - PHPBB_DATABASE_USER=phpbb
-      - PHPBB_DATABASE_PASSWORD=mysql_password
-      - SERVER_NAME=forums.example.com
-      - COOKIE_SECURE=false
+      PHPBB_FORUM_NAME: My Amazing Forum
+      PHPBB_FORUM_DESCRIPTION: Welcome to my phpBB forum
+      PHPBB_USERNAME: admin
+      PHPBB_PASSWORD: secure_password # <- CHANGE THIS!
+      PHPBB_EMAIL: admin@example.com
+      PHPBB_DATABASE_DRIVER: mysqli
+      PHPBB_DATABASE_HOST: mysql
+      PHPBB_DATABASE_NAME: phpbb
+      PHPBB_DATABASE_USER: phpbb
+      PHPBB_DATABASE_PASSWORD: mysql_password # <- CHANGE THIS!
+      SERVER_NAME: forums.example.com
+      COOKIE_SECURE: false
     volumes:
-      - phpbb_data:/opt/phpbb
+      - phpbb_config:/opt/phpbb/config  # other path: no typo! should only contain config.php
+      - phpbb_files:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/files
+      - phpbb_store:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/store
+      - phpbb_images:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/images
+      - phpbb_ext:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/ext  # optional
+      - phpbb_styles:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/styles  # optional
     depends_on:
       - mysql
     restart: unless-stopped
@@ -338,28 +376,21 @@ services:
       timeout: 5s
       retries: 3
       start_period: 30s
+    networks:
+      - phpbb-net
 
   mysql:
-    image: mysql:8.0
+    image: mariadb:latest
     environment:
-      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=root_password
-      - MYSQL_DATABASE=phpbb
-      - MYSQL_USER=phpbb
-      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=mysql_password
+      MARIADB_RANDOM_ROOT_PASSWORD: yes
+      MARIADB_DATABASE: phpbb
+      MARIADB_USER: phpbb
+      MARIADB_PASSWORD: mysql_password # <- CHANGE THIS!
     volumes:
       - mysql_data:/var/lib/mysql
     restart: unless-stopped
-    healthcheck:
-      test:
-        ['CMD', 'mysqladmin', 'ping', '-h', 'localhost', '-u', 'root', '-p${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}']
-      interval: 10s
-      timeout: 5s
-      retries: 3
-      start_period: 30s
-
-volumes:
-  phpbb_data:
-  mysql_data:
+    networks:
+      - phpbb-net
 ```
 
 For PostgreSQL, replace the MySQL service with:
@@ -368,9 +399,9 @@ For PostgreSQL, replace the MySQL service with:
 postgres:
   image: postgres:15
   environment:
-    - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres_password
-    - POSTGRES_USER=phpbb
-    - POSTGRES_DB=phpbb
+    POSTGRES_PASSWORD: postgres_password
+    POSTGRES_USER: phpbb
+    POSTGRES_DB: phpbb
   volumes:
     - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
   restart: unless-stopped
@@ -497,7 +528,9 @@ Kubernetes, or Docker Compose with health checks.
 2. **Permission Issues**:
 
    - If mounting volumes, ensure they have the correct ownership and permissions
-   - The container uses a non-root user with UID/GID different from the host
+   - The container uses a non-root user with UID/GID different from the host, by default 100/101.
+   - Docker populates *empty* volumes (but not mounts!) with the pre-existing folders.
+   - Use a different entrypoint, e.g. `docker compose run --entrypoint sh -it phpbb` to trouble-shoot permissions in the volumes.
 
 3. **PHP Configuration**:
 
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5818f6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+volumes:
+  phpbb_config:
+  phpbb_files:
+  phpbb_store:
+  phpbb_images:
+  phpbb_ext:
+  phpbb_styles:
+  mysql_data:
+
+networks:
+  phpbb-net:
+    driver: bridge
+
+services:
+  phpbb:
+    image: evandarwin/phpbb:latest
+    ports:
+      - '8080:8080'
+    environment:
+      PHPBB_FORUM_NAME: My Amazing Forum
+      PHPBB_FORUM_DESCRIPTION: Welcome to my phpBB forum
+      PHPBB_USERNAME: admin
+      PHPBB_PASSWORD: secure_password # <- CHANGE THIS!
+      PHPBB_EMAIL: admin@example.com
+      PHPBB_DATABASE_DRIVER: mysqli
+      PHPBB_DATABASE_HOST: mysql
+      PHPBB_DATABASE_NAME: phpbb
+      PHPBB_DATABASE_USER: phpbb
+      PHPBB_DATABASE_PASSWORD: mysql_password # <- CHANGE THIS!
+      SERVER_NAME: forums.example.com
+      COOKIE_SECURE: false
+    volumes:
+      - phpbb_config:/opt/phpbb/config  # other path: no typo! should only contain config.php
+      - phpbb_files:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/files
+      - phpbb_store:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/store
+      - phpbb_images:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/images
+      - phpbb_ext:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/ext  # optional
+      - phpbb_styles:/opt/phpbb/phpbb/styles  # optional
+    depends_on:
+      - mysql
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ['CMD', 'curl', '-f', 'http://localhost:8080/']
+      interval: 30s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 3
+      start_period: 30s
+    networks:
+      - phpbb-net
+
+  mysql:
+    image: mariadb:latest
+    environment:
+      MARIADB_RANDOM_ROOT_PASSWORD: yes
+      MARIADB_DATABASE: phpbb
+      MARIADB_USER: phpbb
+      MARIADB_PASSWORD: mysql_password # <- CHANGE THIS!
+    volumes:
+      - mysql_data:/var/lib/mysql
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    networks:
+      - phpbb-net
+
diff --git a/scripts/build.sh b/scripts/build.sh
index 3c6e818..bf53af5 100755
--- a/scripts/build.sh
+++ b/scripts/build.sh
@@ -101,5 +101,5 @@ log "==> Build complete!"
 
 # Display success message
 log "==> All builds complete!"
-log "To run the container: docker run -p 80:80 $DOCKER_IMAGE:<tag>"
-log "Available tags: $VERSION, $MINOR_VERSION, $MAJOR_VERSION, latest"
\ No newline at end of file
+log "To run the container: docker run -p 8080:8080 $DOCKER_IMAGE:<tag>"
+log "Available tags: $VERSION, $MINOR_VERSION, $MAJOR_VERSION, latest"
diff --git a/scripts/docker-entrypoint.sh b/scripts/docker-entrypoint.sh
index f04e4fb..7116970 100755
--- a/scripts/docker-entrypoint.sh
+++ b/scripts/docker-entrypoint.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 set -eu
 
+PHPBB_ROOT=$PHPBB_ROOT
+
 log() {
   echo "[$(hostname)] $1"
 }
@@ -35,7 +37,7 @@ validate_environment() {
   fi
   
   # Conditionally required variables
-  if [ ! -f "${PHPBB_ROOT:-/opt/phpbb}/phpbb/index.php" ] && [ -z "${PHPBB_VERSION:-}" ]; then
+  if [ ! -f "${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/index.php" ] && [ -z "${PHPBB_VERSION:-}" ]; then
     log "ERROR: PHPBB_VERSION environment variable is required for initial installation"
     missing_vars=$((missing_vars + 1))
   fi
@@ -67,8 +69,13 @@ setup_php_version() {
 
 # Install phpBB if not already installed
 install_phpbb() {
-  if [ ! -f "${PHPBB_ROOT:-/opt/phpbb}/phpbb/index.php" ]; then
-    log "phpBB files not found at ${PHPBB_ROOT:-/opt/phpbb}/phpbb, running install script..."
+  if [ ! -f "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/index.php" ] || \
+     [ ! -f "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/store/index.htm" ] || \
+     [ ! -f "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/files/index.htm" ] || \
+     [ ! -f "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/images/index.htm" ] || \
+     [ ! -f "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/ext/index.htm" ] || \
+     [ ! -d "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/styles/all/" ] ; then
+    log "phpBB files not found at $PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb, running install script..."
     if ! /opt/.docker/install-phpbb.sh "${PHPBB_VERSION}"; then
       log "ERROR: Failed to install phpBB. Exiting container."
       return 1
@@ -77,10 +84,36 @@ install_phpbb() {
   return 0
 }
 
+# allow to keep config.php and robots.txt in separate $PHPBB_ROOT/config folder
+# copying from there at startup and copying back in `install-from-yml.sh`
+copy_config_php() {
+  mkdir -p "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb"
+  if [ -f "$PHPBB_ROOT/config/config.php" ] ; then
+    for CONFIGFILE in config.php robots.txt ; do
+      log "copy $PHPBB_ROOT/config/$CONFIGFILE to phpbb installation"
+      # update permissions
+      chmod 640 "$PHPBB_ROOT/config/$CONFIGFILE" || {
+        log "ERROR: Failed to set $PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/$CONFIGFILE permissions"
+        return 1
+      }
+      if ! cp "$PHPBB_ROOT/config/$CONFIGFILE" "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/$CONFIGFILE" ; then
+        log "ERROR: couldn't copy $PHPBB_ROOT config/$CONFIGFILE to phpbb/$CONFIGFILE"
+        return 1
+      fi
+      # Double-check permissions again
+      chmod 640 "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/$CONFIGFILE" || {
+        log "ERROR: Failed to set $PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/$CONFIGFILE permissions"
+        return 1
+      }
+    done
+  fi
+  return 0
+}
+
 # Configure phpBB if not already configured
 configure_phpbb() {
   # Check if config.php exists and is not empty
-  if [ ! -f "${PHPBB_ROOT:-/opt/phpbb}/phpbb/config.php" ] || [ ! -s "${PHPBB_ROOT:-/opt/phpbb}/phpbb/config.php" ]; then
+  if [ ! -f "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/config.php" ] || [ ! -s "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/config.php" ]; then
     log "Configuration file not found or is empty, running YML-based installer..."
     if ! /opt/.docker/install-from-yml.sh; then
       log "ERROR: Failed to configure phpBB. Exiting container."
@@ -88,10 +121,16 @@ configure_phpbb() {
     fi
   else
     log "phpBB already configured, skipping installation"
-    
+
     # Even if installation was skipped, ensure the install directory is removed
-    INSTALL_DIR="${PHPBB_ROOT:-/opt/phpbb}/phpbb/install"
+    INSTALL_DIR="$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/install"
     if [ -d "$INSTALL_DIR" ]; then
+      log "install directory found: likely a new docker image/installation and mounted subvolumes only -> update database migration"
+      if ! /opt/.docker/update-db-migration.sh; then
+        log "ERROR: Failed to update and run database migration."
+        return 1
+      fi
+      
       log "SECURITY: Removing phpBB install directory..."
       if rm -rf "$INSTALL_DIR"; then
         log "SECURITY: Successfully removed phpBB install directory"
@@ -199,9 +238,9 @@ check_database_connectivity() {
       fi
       
       # Try connecting to MySQL with appropriate arguments
-      if command -v mysql >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+      if command -v mariadb >/dev/null 2>&1; then
         log "Testing MySQL connection to $db_host..."
-        if ! mysql -h "$db_host" ${db_port:+-P "$db_port"} -u "$db_user" ${db_pass:+-p"$db_pass"} -e "SELECT 1" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        if ! mariadb -h "$db_host" ${db_port:+-P "$db_port"} -u "$db_user" ${db_pass:+-p"$db_pass"} -e "SELECT 1" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
           log "WARNING: Could not connect to MySQL server at $db_host. phpBB may not function correctly!"
           result=0  # Don't fail the container, just warn
         else
@@ -270,13 +309,15 @@ main() {
   validate_environment || exit 1
   setup_php_version || exit 1
   
+  # Check database connectivity
+  check_database_connectivity || exit 1
+
   # Install and configure phpBB
   install_phpbb || exit 1
+  copy_config_php || exit 1
   configure_phpbb || exit 1
   apply_custom_php_ini || exit 1
   
-  # Check database connectivity
-  check_database_connectivity || exit 1
   
   # Setup logging and start services
   setup_log_forwarding || exit 1
@@ -288,4 +329,4 @@ main() {
 }
 
 # Execute main function
-main "$@"
\ No newline at end of file
+main "$@"
diff --git a/scripts/install-from-yml.sh b/scripts/install-from-yml.sh
index 66d7719..d8273ca 100755
--- a/scripts/install-from-yml.sh
+++ b/scripts/install-from-yml.sh
@@ -95,21 +95,21 @@ test_db_connection() {
       # Set default MySQL port if not specified
       [ -z "$port" ] && port="3306"
       
-      if command -v mysql > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+      if command -v mariadb > /dev/null 2>&1; then
         log "Testing MySQL connection to $host:$port..."
-        if ! mysql -h "$host" -P "$port" -u "$user" ${pass:+-p"$pass"} -e "SELECT 1" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        if ! mariadb -h "$host" -P "$port" -u "$user" ${pass:+-p"$pass"} -e "SELECT 1" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
           log "ERROR: Failed to connect to MySQL database"
           return 1
         fi
         
         # Test if database exists or we can create it
-        if ! mysql -h "$host" -P "$port" -u "$user" ${pass:+-p"$pass"} -e "USE \`$name\`" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        if ! mariadb -h "$host" -P "$port" -u "$user" ${pass:+-p"$pass"} -e "USE \`$name\`" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
           log "Database '$name' doesn't exist, will be created during installation"
         fi
         
         log "MySQL connection successful"
       else
-        log "WARNING: mysql client not found, skipping connection test"
+        log "WARNING: mariadb client not found, skipping connection test"
       fi
       ;;
       
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ COOKIE_SECURE="${COOKIE_SECURE:-false}"
 
 # Validate database config and test connection before installation
 validate_db_config || exit 1
-test_db_connection || exit 1
+test_db_connection || sleep 10 && test_db_connection ||  exit 1
 
 # Generate YAML config - more readable format
 cat > "$CONFIG_YML" << EOF
@@ -285,6 +285,9 @@ if [ $RESULT -eq 0 ] && [ ! -s "$CONFIG_FILE" ]; then
   log "ERROR: Installation completed but config/config.php is empty or missing"
   log "       This indicates that the installation process failed to write configuration data"
   RESULT=1
+else
+  # copy config.php to $PHPBB_ROOT/config/ folder that was possibly mounted as persistent
+  cp -p "${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb/config.php" "${PHPBB_ROOT}/config/config.php"
 fi
 
 # Only remove install directory if installation was successful
@@ -294,4 +297,4 @@ if [ $RESULT -eq 0 ] && [ -d "install" ]; then
 fi
 
 [ -n "${TEMP_DIR:-}" ] && rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"
-exit $RESULT
\ No newline at end of file
+exit $RESULT
diff --git a/scripts/install-phpbb.sh b/scripts/install-phpbb.sh
index 796392a..9c5e135 100755
--- a/scripts/install-phpbb.sh
+++ b/scripts/install-phpbb.sh
@@ -144,31 +144,54 @@ extract_phpbb_files() {
   return 0
 }
 
-# Move phpBB files to the destination directory with better error handling
-move_files_to_destination() {
-  log "Moving files to destination directory: $PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb"
-  
-  # Ensure destination directory exists
-  mkdir -p "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb" || { log "ERROR: Failed to create phpBB root directory"; return 1; }
-  
+robust_copy () {
   # Move files to destination with rsync if available for better handling of existing files
+  log "copy from $1 to $2"
   if command -v rsync >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    log "Using rsync to copy files..."
-    if ! rsync -a "$TMP_DIR/phpBB3/" "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/"; then
+    if ! rsync -a "$1" "$2"; then
       log "ERROR: Failed to rsync phpBB files to destination directory"
       return 1
     fi
   else
     # Fallback to cp if rsync is not available
-    log "Rsync not available, using cp..."
-    if ! cp -a "$TMP_DIR/phpBB3/"* "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/"; then
+    log "Rsync not available, using cp -a ..."
+    if ! cp -a "${1%/}" "${2%/}"; then
       log "ERROR: Failed to copy phpBB files to destination directory"
       return 1
     fi
   fi
+}
+
+# Move phpBB files to the destination directory with better error handling
+move_files_to_destination() {
+  log "Moving files to destination directory: $PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb"
+
+  # Ensure destination directory exists
+  mkdir -p "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb" || { log "ERROR: Failed to create phpBB root directory"; return 1; }
+
+  if [ ! -f "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/index.php" ] ; then
+    robust_copy "$TMP_DIR/phpBB3/" "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/"
+  else
+    # check for docker volumes mounted to subfolders that need to be populated
+    if [ ! -f "$PHPBB_ROOT/store/index.htm" ] ; then
+       robust_copy "$TMP_DIR/phpBB3/store/" "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/store/"
+    fi
+    if [ ! -f "$PHPBB_ROOT/files/index.htm" ] ; then
+       robust_copy "$TMP_DIR/phpBB3/files/" "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/files/"
+    fi
+    if [ ! -f "$PHPBB_ROOT/images/index.htm" ] ; then
+       robust_copy "$TMP_DIR/phpBB3/images/" "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/images/"
+    fi
+    if [ ! -f "$PHPBB_ROOT/ext/index.htm" ] ; then
+       robust_copy "$TMP_DIR/phpBB3/ext/" "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/ext/"
+    fi
+    if [ ! -d "$PHPBB_ROOT/styles/all/" ] ; then
+       robust_copy "$TMP_DIR/phpBB3/styles/" "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/styles/"
+    fi
+  fi
 
-  # Create config directory and empty config.php file
-  mkdir -p "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/config" || { log "ERROR: Failed to create config directory"; return 1; }
+  # Create empty config.php file to ensure we can set permissions
+  # (config folder needs to to be overwritten)
   touch "$PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb/config/config.php" || { log "ERROR: Failed to create config.php file"; return 1; }
   
   log "Files moved successfully to $PHPBB_ROOT/phpbb"
@@ -261,4 +284,4 @@ main() {
 }
 
 # Execute main function with proper error handling and all arguments
-main "$@"
\ No newline at end of file
+main "$@"
diff --git a/scripts/update-db-migration.sh b/scripts/update-db-migration.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..f03c3d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/update-db-migration.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+set -eu
+log() { echo "[$(hostname)] $1"; }
+trap 'log "ERROR at line $LINENO"; [ -n "${TEMP_DIR:-}" ] && rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"' ERR
+
+# Check required vars and fail fast
+PHPBB_ROOT="${PHPBB_ROOT:-/opt/phpbb}"
+
+# Find PHP and create temp dir
+PHP_EXECUTABLE=$(command -v "php${PHP_VERSION:-}" 2>/dev/null || command -v php || { log "ERROR: PHP not found"; exit 1; })
+TEMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d) && chmod 700 "$TEMP_DIR" && CONFIG_YML="${TEMP_DIR}/update-config.yml"
+
+# Generate YAML config - more readable format
+cat > "$CONFIG_YML" << EOF
+updater:
+   type: db_only
+
+EOF
+chmod 600 "$CONFIG_YML"
+
+# Run installer & cleanup
+cd "${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb" || { log "ERROR: Cannot access ${PHPBB_ROOT}/phpbb"; exit 1; }
+[ ! -f "install/phpbbcli.php" ] && log "ERROR: CLI installer missing" && exit 1
+
+$PHP_EXECUTABLE install/phpbbcli.php update "$CONFIG_YML"
+RESULT=$?
+
+# Check if config file was properly created
+if [ ! $RESULT -eq 0 ]; then
+  log "ERROR: 'php install/phpbbcli.php update $CONFIG_YML' failed with return code $RESULT"
+fi
+
+# Only remove install directory if installation was successful
+if [ $RESULT -eq 0 ] && [ -d "install" ]; then
+  rm -rf "install" 
+  log "SECURITY: Removed install dir after successful installation"
+fi
+
+[ -n "${TEMP_DIR:-}" ] && rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"
+exit $RESULT